Dead To That

"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
-Romans 6:11

Set

Mike was a great athlete. He could play almost any sport with ease. He was popular, and everyone wanted to follow his example. Mike had given his heart to Christ and had begun following God's plan, but his old friends and old ways resurfaced often. So, when he was approached recently by his friends who were going out to party and wanted him to attend, Mike had to make a choice.

The Apostle Paul was a man who made a dramatic turn in his life. He went from persecuting Christians to persuading people to become believers. What a transformation! Now, I am sure that Paul's old friends and old ways continued to rear their heads from time to time, but Paul made it very clear in Romans 6:11 that he was indeed dead to those former ways of life and that he was walking a new road to righteousness.

When Mike was asked to go out to the party with his friends, he politely said, "I am dead to that now." His friends looked at him as if they had seen a ghost; but they respected his decision. Mike made the choice to be dead to the sins that entangled him, and he chose to live in Christ. Though tempted and tried many times, he continued to stand firm in his faith.

What are the sins and former life patterns that continue to come up in your life? Do you give in to the draw of the world, or do you state like Mike, "I am dead to that"? Being dead to sin simply means choosing Christ and His way over the way of the world. The world offers you everything that looks good, but in the end it is destructive. Christ offers you a free gift that leads to eternity.

You have a choice to make: Are you dead to that sin and alive in Christ, or will sin continue to reign over you?

Go

1. Have you had to make a choice recently about a former sin or former lifestyle pattern?
2. What are the sins you need to "be dead to" as you live in Christ?
3. Today, when sin creeps into your life again, use the phrase "I'm dead to that," and live today and every day in the power that Christ gives to overcome sin!